A 42-year-old man named Jian gouged out his 59-year-old neighbor’s eyes during a fight over a leaking water pipe in Shuangxi District, New Taipei City on April 17, 2025.
The incident happened around 9am between Jian, who owns a hardware store, and his next-door neighbor Lian, an electrical appliance store owner.
They were arguing about water pipe issues on vacant land between their properties, according to ETtoday.
During the fight, Jian hit Lian’s head with a brick. Lian bit Jian’s left arm in response.
While trying to free himself, Jian stuck his fingers into Lian’s eyes and pulled them out, then threw the eyeballs on the ground.
When paramedics arrived, they found Lian with blood on his face and a crooked jaw. They didn’t notice his eyes were missing at first because his eyelids were closed.
Police and firefighters took Lian to National Keelung Hospital. He was later moved to Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital where he was intubated for emergency treatment.
Police later found both eyeballs on the ground – one intact and one crushed.
Despite efforts to rush the eyeballs to the hospital, medical staff confirmed Lian has been permanently blinded.
After the incident, Jian turned himself in to police and was sent to the Keelung District Prosecutor’s Office on attempted murder charges. The prosecutor set bail at NTD120,000 (S$4,836.11).
On April 19, Jian’s mother told reporters about a history of problems between the families. She claimed Lian often harassed their household, including her 80-year-old husband.
“Lian often made noise at night, disturbing neighbors. He even secretly filmed family members using the toilet,” she said. “It’s painful to live here.”
Other neighbors confirmed Lian had a reputation for causing problems.
A neighbor named Chen said that while Jian and Lian often had small disputes about repairs and lack of cooperation, they had never fought physically before this incident.
